Dishwasher with controls in door



Nov. 20, 1962 B. GIVEN ETAL 3,064,662 DISHWASHER WITH CONTROLS IN DOOROriginal Filed Nov. 30, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 10 11; j .E ra. 3.

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ML 751% PEGLOM Nov. 20, 1962 B. GIVEN ETAL DISHWASHER WITH CONTROLS INDOOR Original Filed Nov. 30, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 s w w 6 a J a? 3 g 66 e a w L: HL w 1:1 mm w fl u W H 6.6. m Mm w H F W 7 m w M 2 H# "W fiz. wfi w w 5 WI J 2 H E 6 Nov. 20, 1962 B. GIVEN ETAL DISHWASHER WITHcoNTRoLs m noon Original Filed Nov. so, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 W E M M.||||ll.||.lJ 0 a r. 2 w 2 m mw w w 2 a w a f. 6 6 M $3 E H 6 g g a K 1M1 5 A, 5 0 NW a w w a T 6, a M, 1 7 M M y M M,

INVENTORS 8ETEAM GVEN;

7V4; Tee .PEQLOM ,.y 725/2 Aways. Hinze/s, Meal, jfiasree 515159915,

Patented Nov. 20, 1962 3,064,662 DISHWASI ER WITH GNTRLS IN D0812Bertram Given, Los Angeles, and Walter Pegiow, Santa Barbara, Caiih,assignors to Waste King Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporationof California Continuation of abandoned application Ser. No. 625,398,

Nov. 30, 1956. This application June 7, 1961, Ser- No. 136,117

6 Claims. (Cl. B P-$) (Filed under Rule 47(a) and 35 USA). 116) Thepresent application is a continuation of copending application SerialNo. 625,398, now abandoned, filed November 30, 1956 by Walter Peglow andme.

The present invention relates in general to dish-washers and, moreparticularly, to a dishwasher having an operating cycle which iscontrolled by a timer so that the operating cycle is carried outcompletely automatically.

In general, the present invention contemplates a dishwasher whichincludes a structure providing a dish chamber within which articles maybe washed, rinsed and dried, such structure preferably including anouter housing, such as a cabinet, which encloses the dish chamber. Thestructure mentioned is provided with a doorway through the cabinet andthe dish chamber into the interior of the dish chamber so that articlesto be washed, rinsed and dried may be placed in and removed from thedish chamber. Preferably, this doorway is located in the front side ofthe dishwasher and is adapted to be closed by a door pivotally mountedadjacent its lower edge for movement between open and closed positions,the closed position of the door being generally vertical and the openposition thereof being at least approximately horizontal. The dishwasheris provided with an operating means for automatically washing, rinsingand drying articles in the dish chamber, this operating means includingvarious electrical or mechanical operating elements, i.e., electricallyor mechanically actuable operating elements, and including a timerelectrically or mechanically connected to such elements for controllingthe operation thereof. The operating elements mentioned may include someor all of such elements as means for introducing water into the dishchamber, means for introducing water conditioning agents, such asdetergents, drying agents, and the like, into the dish chamber, meansfor heating water and/or air in the dish chamber, means for circulatingwater in the dish chamber over articles therein so as to wash or rinsesuch articles, means for preventing overflow of the dish chamber, meansfor draining water from the dish chamber, means for circulating airthrough the dishwasher to dry the dishes, and the like. The inventionfurther contemplates a dishwasher wherein the aforementioned operatingmeans includes a plurality of electrical circuits in which some or allof the various operating elements are connected and in which areconnected electrical indicators, such as lights, for indicatingoperation of the operating elements. The operating elements which arecontrolled by the timer and with which the electrical indicatorsmentioned are associated may be carried by the dishwasher structure atpoints on, within, or spaced from the door of the dishwasher, some ofthese operating elements being mounted on the dishwasher structurewithin the dish chamber and others being mounted on the dishwasherstructure externally of the dish chamber in a space between it and theouter cabinet or housing.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an automaticdishwasher of the foregoing nature wherein the timer is carried by thedoor of the dishwasher, a related object being to provide a dishwasherwherein the electrical indicators mentioned are also carried by thedoor. A further object in this connection is to provide a dishwasherwherein such controls as the timer and indicators are carried by thedoor in a controls compartmenttherewithin, this compartment also beingadapted to contain one or more of the operating elements, such as awater-conditioning-agent dispenser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dishwasher having at thefront thereof a door which is hinged adjacent its lower edge for pivotalmovement between an upright, closed position and an approximatelyhorizontal, open position, and which includes at the top thereof spacedinner and outer walls providing therebetween a controls compartmentwhich is separated from the interior of the dish chamber by such innerwall, at least the timer, and preferably the timer and the electricalindicators, being located in such compartment, along with one or more ofthe operating elements in certain instances.

A further object is to provide a dishwasher having at the front thereofa door hinged adjacent its lower edge and provided across the topthereof with spaced inner and outer walls forming a compartment whichextends across the top of the door, the timer being located in suchcompartrnent at one end thereof, i.e., at one side of the door, and theelectrical indicators mentioned being located at the other end thereof,i.e., at the other side of the door. One or more of the operatingelements may also be located at suitable points in the controlscompartment, e.g., adjacent the timer, or in an extension of thecontrols compartment.

A further object is to provide a dishwasher wherein the timer andelectrical indicators are located in the controls compartmentsubstantially in horizontal alignment.

Still another object is to provide a timer having a shaft which projectsforwardly through the outer wall of the controls compartment and whichis provided with a control knob thereon externally of, i.e., forwardlyof such outer wall.

Still another object is to provide a dishwasher wherein the outer wallof the controls compartment is provided at one end of such compartmentwith a series of apertures substantially in horizontal alignment, theelectrical indicators including electric lights positioned in such endof the compartment behind the respective apertures. A related object isto provide a dishwasher wherein the horizontally aligned apertures inthe outer wall of the controls compartment contain lenses through whichthe respective electrical indicator lights within the compartment arevisible and which bear indicia, visible when the corresponding electriclights are energized, for indicating the operation being performed bythe dishwasher, i.e., for indicating which of the operating elements areactivated.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a dishwasher of theforegoing nature wherein the electrical indicators and/ or the timer inthe door are connected to any of the various operating elements whichare spaced from the door by electrical conductors extending into thedoor approximately at the hinge line thereof and extending upwardlywithin the door to the electrical indicators and/ or the timer.

Another object is to provide a dishwasher wherein the outer wall of thecompartment for the electrical indicators and/ or the timer includes anouter panel and an escutcheon through which the timer shaft extends andthrough which the electrical indicator lights are visible.

A further object is to provide a dishwasher having a handle for the doorwhich extends across the top of the door above the timer and theelectrical indicators.

An extremely important advantage of locating at least the electricalindicators and/or the timer in a compartment in the door is that itmaterially reduces the lateral or vertical dimensions of the dishwasherfor given dish chamber dimensions. For example, for a dish chamber of agiven lateral dimension or width, locating the electrical indicators andthe timer in the door results in a reduced cabinet width as compared toa dishwasher wherein the controls, i.e., the timer and the electricalindicators, are located in a compartment at one side of the dishwasherbetween a side wall of the dish chamber and the corresponding side wallof the cabinet. Similarly, locating elements of the foregoing nature inthe door results in a reduced overall height for the same dish chamberheight as compared to a dishwasher wherein the controls are located in acompartment at the top of the dishwasher housing structure, i.e., in acompartment between the top Wall of the dish chamber and the top wall ofthe cabinet. Thus, in short, the present invention provides a dishchamber of maximum volume, and therefore maximum capacity, for givenover-all dimensions, or, expressed in another way, the present inventionresults in a dishwasher having minimum over-all dimensions for a givendish chamber volume. Thus, the present invention ,achieves maximum dishchamber capacity with minimum over-all size, which is an extremelyimportant feature.

Another important feature is that locating the controls, including thetimer and electrical indicators, in a compartment across the top of thedoor in substantially horizontal alignment makes all of the controlsreadily accessible at a convenient height and at the front of thedishwasher. Also, locating the handle for the door and the controls forthe dishwasher in the same general area at the top of thedoor minimizesthe number and magnitude of the motions which the operator of thedishwasher must go through in using same so that maximum ease ofoperation results, which is another feature.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the presentinvention, together with various other objects, advantages, features andresults thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the dishwasherart in the light of this disclosure, may be attained with the exemplaryembodiment of the invention described in detail hereinafter andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an automatic dishwasher whichembodies the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary front elevational view of thedishwasher;

FIGS. 3, 4 and are enlarged, fragmentary sectional views respectivelytaken along the arrowed lines 3-3, 4-4 and 55 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary sectional views respectively takenalong the arrowed lines 6-6, 77 and 8-8 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 9 is a diagramatic view illustrating the electrical circuitry ofthe dishwash of the invention.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the dishwasherof the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10 and includesan inner dish chamber or tub 12 enclosed by an outer housing or cabinet16 the walls of which are spaced outwardly from the walls of the dishchamber to provide a space 20 completely surrounding the dish chamber. Adoorway 22 extends through the front walls of the cabinet 16 and thedish chamber 12 and provides access to the interior of the dish chamber.The doorway 22 is closed by a door 24 when the dishwasher 10 is inoperation, the door being hinged adjacent its lower edge, in a mannernot specifically shown, for pivotal movement between an upright,generally vertical position wherein it closes the doorway and an openposition wherein the door is at least approximately horizontal. In theparticular construction illustrated, the door 24 is shownas pivotallyconnected to the cabinet 16 for pivotal movement about a hinge axis 26,FIG. 1, at the lower edge of the door.

The lower regions of the dish chamber 12 provide a sump within which isan impeller or impelling means 36 for circulating water from the sumpover dishes, not

shown, in the dish chamber. The impeller 36 is utilized to circulatewater from the sump 30 over the dishes during a main washing operationand during one or more rinsing operations, water also being circulatedover the dishes during a preliminary rinsing operation which pra cedesthe main washing operation if desired. As will be understood, variousadditives, such as detergents, water softeners, drying agents and thelike may be introduced into the water by a suitable dispenser, notshown, for the purposes of some or all of these operations, such adispenser being shown as located within a door corresponding to the door24 in the co-pending application of Robert M. Getchell and WalterPeglow, Serial No. 618,966, filed October 29, 1956, now Patent No.3,013,568, and assigned to the same assignee as this application, andbeing shown therein as controlled by a timer corresponding to the timer58 hereinafter described. The resulting solutions are circulated overthe dishes by the impeller 36 during the corresponding operations. Inthe particular construction illustrated, the impeller 36 takes the formof 'a rotary spraying device of the reaction type although it may takethe form of a positively driven spraying device, if desired, the Waterdischarged by the impeller being sprayed upwardly throughout theinterior of the dish chamber and over any dishes therein to be washedand/orrinsed. The dishes may be supported in the chamber 12 in anysuitable manner, as on racks 37.

In the construction shown, the impeller 36 is supplied with water fromthe sump 30 by a pump '38 the inlet, not shown, of which communicateswith the sump, the pump being driven by an electric motor 40 whichconstitutes one of the operating elements hereinbefore mentioned andwhich is mounted below the dish chamber 12 in a portion of the space 20between this chamber and the cabinet 16. Water may be introduced intothe chamber 12 in any suitable manner, not shown, under the control of afill valve 41 mounted in the space 20 below the dish chamber andoperated by a solenoid 42 which forms another of the operating elementsmentioned. The water may be drained from the sump 3! through a drainoutlet 43 under the control of a drain valve, not shown, operated by asolenoid 44 mounted below the dish chamber 12 and forming one of theoperating elements mentioned. A float switch 45 serves to limit thewater level in the sump 30 in a manner to be described.

Centrally located at the bottom of the dish chamber 12, within the sump30, is a heating means 46 which forms one of the operating elementsmentioned and which is shown as comprising a resistance heating element47 carried by the sump and controlled by a thermostat or thermostatmeans 48 carried by the sump at the bottom of the dish chamber. performsa heating function in connection with the washing and rinsing water andthe airused to dry the dishes after washing and rinsing, and furtherserves as a means for circulating the drying air within the dish chamber12.

by convection. The air heated by the heating means 46 rises centrally ofthe dish chamber 12 and then flows outwardly and downwardly along theinner surfaces of the walls of the dish chamber, to be again heated bythe heating means and again caused to rise centrally of the chamber in acontinuous flow pattern. As more fully discussed in the co-pendingapplication of Horace E. Karig, Serial No. 482,239, filed January 17,1955, now Patent No. 2,918,068, and assigned to the same assignee as thepresent application, the air circulated in the dish chamber 12 duringthe drying operation is relieved of moisture carried thereby bycondensation of such moisture on the inner surfaces of the walls of thedish chamber. In order to produce such condensation, the walls of thedish chamber 12 are maintained at a temperature below that of the ,aircirculating in the dish chamber. In the construction illustrated, theWalls of the dish chamber 12 are cooled with ambient air by forced aircirculation throughout the space 20 between the walls of the dishchamber and the walls of the cabinet 16. To this end atmospheric air iscirculated through the space 20 by an air propelling means shown asincluding a fan 52 driven by an electric motor 54 forming another of theThe heating means 46' operating elements hereinbefore referred to.Preferably, the fan 52 draws ambient air into the space through an inletlocated at the front and bottom of the cabinet 16 at the pointdesignated by the arrow 49, and discharges such air through an airoutlet 59 at the top of the door 24, after having circulated such airthroughout the space 20. A portion of this space is preferably definedby spaced inner and outer Walls 51 and 53, respectively, of the door.The air circulated directly through the door 24 by the fan 52 isdischarged directly through the air outlet 50, which is formed in theouter wall 53 of the door. The air circulated throughout the remainderof the space 20 between the dish chamber 12 and the cabinet 16 reachesthe air outlet 50 through apertures 55 at the top of the inner wall 51of the door 24. The precise manner in which the dishes within the dishchamber 12 are dried by circulating ambient air throughout the space 20to condense moisture from the convectively circulating air within thedish chamber 12 on the inner surfaces of the walls of the dish chamberis set forth in considerably more detail in the aforementionedco-pending application of Horace E. Karig so that a further descriptionof the drying operation herein is thought to be unnecessary.

The dishwasher 10 includes a timer which is designated generally by thenumeral 58 and which is located in a compartment 59 extending across thetop of the door 24 and defined by the inner and outer walls 51 and 53thereof, electrical indicators 61, 62, 63, 65 and 66 also being carriedby the door within the compartment 59. The specific structure of thecompartment 59 and the manner in which the timer 58 and the indicators61, 62, 63, 65 and 66 are mounted therein will be considered in detailhereinafter subsequent to a consideration of the 7 control circuit ofthe dishwasher.

Referring to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the control circuit of thedishwasher 10 includes main power supply leads 102 and 193, a switch 56carried by and controlled by the door 24 being inserted in the lead 102and being closed only when the door is closed. As shown in FIG. 4, thedoor switch 56, which may be regarded as one of the operating elementsdiscussed earlier herein, is located within the compartment 59 at oneend thereof and is mounted on a bracket 67 which, in turn, is mounted onan angle-shaped supporting member 68 disposed within the compartment 59and extending across the door from one end of this compartment to theother. The door switch 56 is normally held open by a spring arm 69mounted on the bracket 67 at one end and carrying an adjustable pin 76at its other end. The pin 70 projects through an aperture 78 in theinner wall 51 of the door 24 and is engageable with a wall 79 connectingthe adjacent side walls of the dish chamber 12 and the cabinet 16. Aswill be apparent, when the door 24 is closed, the pin 70 engages thewall 79 to permit the door switch 56 to close. However, when the door 24is not in its closed position, the spring arm 69 opens the door switch56 to de-energize the control circuit, with one exception to bediscussed hereinafter.

Turning again to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the control circuit of thedishwasher 16 includes a drain valve and fan motor circuit 71, a heatercircuit 72, a timer or timer-motor circuit 73, a bypass circuit 74-, apump or pump-motor circuit 75, a fill valve circuit 76 and an overflowcircuit 77, these circuits, generally speaking, being connected inparallel relative to each other across the main power supply leads 1G2and 103. With the exception of a portion of the overflow circuit 77which will be discussed in more detail hereinafter, the circuits 71 to7'7 are in series with and controlled by the door switch 56 so that theycannot be energized if the door 24 is open.

The circuit 71 includes the drain valve solenoid 44 and the fan motor 54in parallel, the electrical indicator 61 including an indicator light131 connected in parallel with the drain valve solenoid and the fanmotor to show that these elements are energized. The circuit 71 alsoincludes a switch 81 in series with the door switch 56 and in serieswith the parallel-connected drain valve solenoid 44, fan motor 54 andindicator light 131.

The circuit 72 includes the heating element 47 and the electricalindicator 62 includes an indicator light 132 in parallel with theheating element, these elements being connected in series with the doorswitch 56 through a switch 82 and through the thermostat 48. The latterincludes a thermostat switch 88 engageable with a lowtemperature contact89 in a low-temperature position thereof and with a high-temperaturecontact 90 in a high-temperature position thereof, the thermostat switch88 closing the circuit 72 between the switch 82 and the heating element47 and the indicator light 132 when in its low-temperature position.

The circuit 73 includes a switch 83 which is connected in series withatimer motor 87 forming part of the timer 58 and an indicator light 133forming part of the indicator 63, the timer motor and the indicatorlight be ing connected in parallel. The switch 83 is also in series withthe door switch 56. As will be apparent, when the thermostat switch 88is in its high-temperature position, it permits energization of thetimer motor 87 and the indicator light 133 through the switch 82 for apurpose which will be discussed hereinafter.

The bypass circuit 74 includes a bypass switch 84 which is connected inseries with the door switch 56 and which is connected in series with theswitches 81, 82 and 83 and in series with switches 85 and 86 to bedescribed. The bypass switch 8 is connected in parallel with a mainswitch 99 which is also connected in series with the switches 81, 32,83, 85 and 36 so that the circuit controlled by the latter switches maybe energized through either the bypass switch 84, or the main switch 99.

The circuit includes the pump motor 46 and an indicaror light 135,forming part of the electrical indicator 65, in parallel, these elementsbeing in series with the switch 85. As will be apparent, the indicatorlight 135 is energized whenever the pump motor 4% is operating, so as toindicate this fact.

The circuit 76 includes the fill valve solenoid 42 and an indicatorlight 136, forming part of the electrical indicator 66, in parallel, theswitch 86 being connected in series with these elements. The indicatorlight 136, of course, indicates that the switch 86 controlling the fillvalve solenoid 42 is closed.

Considering the overflow circuit 77, it includes the float switch 45,which comprises a float 8'0 responsive to the Water level in the sump3t) and actuating a switch element 91, this switch element engaging acontact 92 in series with the till valve solenoid 42 when the waterlevel in the sump 39 is below a predetermined maximum. Thus, the tillvalve solenoid 42 can be energized to open the fill valve 41 only whenthe water level in the sump does not exceed this predetermined maximum.When the sump water level does exceed this maximum, the switch element91 engages a contact 93 in series with a solenoid 94 of a relay 95, thelatter including an armature 96 which closes switches 97 and 93 when thesolenoid 94 is energized. The switches 97 and 98 are engageable withcontacts which are connected to a lead 101, the latter being connectedinto the main power supply lead 102 ahead of the door switch 56. Therelay solenoid 94 and the contact 93 of the float switch 45 are alsoconnected to the lead 161 so that, when the float switch element 91 isin engagement with the contact 93, the relay 95 is energized to closethe switches 97 and 98 through the main power supply lead 162-, the lead101 and the main power supply lead 163. The switch 97 is connected inseries with the pump motor 40 between it and the switch so that, whenthe switch 97 is closed, the pump circuit 75 is energized from the mainpower supply lead 1%12 to the main power supply lead 163 through thelead 191 and the switch 97. Similarly, the switch 98 is connected inseries with the drain valve solenoid 44 and the fan motor 54 betweenthese elements and the switch 81. Consequently, when the switch 98 isclosed, the fan motor 54 and, more important, the drain valve solenoid44 are connected across the main power supply leads 182 and 1133 throughthe lead 161 and the switch 98. With this arrangement, whenever thefloat switch element 91 engages the contact 93 in response to a sumpwater level in excess of the predetermined maximum, the pump motor 48 isenergized to pump water from the sump 3i and the drain valve solenoid 44is energized to open the drain valve and permit the pump to dischargewater from the sump through the drain outlet 43. Thus, water isdischarged from the sump 35 into the drain outlet 43 whenever the waterlevel in the sump is above the predetermined maximum, this taking placeeven in the event that the door 24 is open due to the connection of thelead 161 to the main power supply lead 1 52 ahead of the door switch 56.

The timer 58 includes a shaft 164 which is driven by the timer motor 87and which drives cams 111, 112, 113, 1-14, 115 and 16 for opening andclosing the switches 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 and 86, respectively, at theproper points in the operating cycle of the dishwasher 10. The timershaft 104- carries a timer control knob 129 externally of the outer wall53 of the door 24 and is axially movable between an outer, extendedposition and an inner, retracted position. As shown diagrammatically inFIG. 9 of the drawings, the timer shaft 184 is so connected to the mainswitch 99 that this switch is closed when the control knob is in itsretracted position, and is open when the control knob is in its extendedposition. The control knob 129 is moved to its extended position to openthe main switch 99 at a predetermined point in the operating cycle ofthe dishwasher 10 near the end of such cycle, this being accomplished byengagement of a cam element 122, FIG. 9, on the shaft 104 with astationary cam element 124. The angular extent of the cam element 124 issuch that it extends the control knob 120 to open the main switch 99near the end of the operating cycle, and does not permit closure of themain switch until substantially the end of the operating cycle has beenreached.

The operation of the control circuit illustrated in FIG. 9 of thedrawings is described in complete detail in the co-pending applicationof Horace E. Karig, Serial No. 625,685, now abandoned, filed December 3,1956, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, thedisclosure of this co-pending application being incoporated herein byreference. Consequently, the operation of V the control circuit needs bedescribed only briefly herein.

Prior to operating the dishwasher 10, the dishes to be washed are placedin or on the racks 37 in thedish chamber 12 and the door 24 is closed,thereby closing the door switch 56. Under such conditions, thedishwasher is ready for initiation of an operating cycle. To start theoperating cycle, the timer control knob 120 is pushed inwardly manuallyto close the main switch 99, the relative positions of the cam elements122 and 124 being such as to permit this at the beginning of theoperating cycle. Upon closure of the main switch 99, the timer 58 isenergized to produce the operating cycle for which 'the cams 111 to 116are designed, the cams operating the corresponding switches 81 to 86 atthe proper points in the operating cycle to introduce water into thedish chamber 12 at the-beginning of each washing and rinsing operation,to heat the water to the temperature determined by the thermostat 48, tocirculate the water over the dishes in the racks 37 to drain the waterfrom the dish chamber 12 at the end of each washing and rinsingoperation; and to dry the dishes at the end of the finalrinsingoperation. As explained in detail in said copending applicationSerial No. 625,685, control of the circuit of the dishwater 10 is takenaway from the timer 58 by the thermostat 48 at the beginning of thefinal rinsing operation to insure a predetermined minimum watertemperature for the final rinsing operation, thereby achievingsterilization of the dishes during the final rinsing operation andachieving thorough preheating of the dishes for rapid drying during thesubsequent drying operation. As also explained in detail in saidco-pending application Serial No. 625,685, control of the circuit of thedishwasher 1! is taken away from the main switch 99 by the bypass switch84 during the latter portion of the operating cycle and the timercontrol knob 124i is moved to its extended position, this featurepermitting full 360 rotation of the control knob 129 throughout oneoperating cycle. The foregoing and various other features of theoperation of the control circuit or the dishwasher 16 per se form nopart of the present invention, and since they are fully described insaid co-pending application Serial No. 625,685, no further explanationthereof herein is required.

As previously indicated, the present invention locates the controls forthe dishwasher 18 in the compartment 59 at the top of the door 24 formaximum accessibility and to minimize the over-all dimensions of thedishwasher for a given dish chamber capacity, the compartment 59 beingprimarily a controls compartment for such controls as the timer 5S andthe indicators 61, 62, 63, 65 and 66, although operating elements of thedishwasher, such as the door switch 56, may also be located therein. Asbest shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the inner wall 51 of the door is offset ordished inwardly, as indicated by the numeral 141, all the way across thetop of the door to make the compmtment 59 relatively deep. The inwardlydished portion 141 of the inner wall 51 of the door 24 thus occupies acorner zone of the dish chamber at the front thereof. This corner zoneof the dish chamber represents a space which cannot readily be designedto be occupied by dishes so that locating the controls compartment 59 inthe door and arranging it to occupy such corner zone in no way curtailsthe effective capacity of the dish chamber.

The outer wall 53 of the door 24 is defined by an outer panel 142 whichextends upwardly from the lower edge of the door to a level below theupper edge thereof, the

remainder of the outerwall being formed by an escutcheon 143 whichextends across the top of the door. The escutcheon 143 is seated againstthe upper end of the panel 142 and is suitably secured to the inner wall51 of the door, as by means of bolts 144 connected to brackets 146which, in turn, are suitably secured to the inner wall. A handle 148extends across the top of the door at the upper extremity thereof, andis bolted, or otherwise secured, to the brackets 146. The handle 148 isof angleshaped cross section and has a downwardly and forwardlyextending flange 150, behind which the operators fingers are designed tobe inserted.

As previously discussed, the door switch 56 is located in the controlscompartment 59, being located at the extreme right end thereof, asviewed in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The timer 58 is located in the sameend of the controls compartment 59 and, as best shown in FIG. 3,includes a housing 152 having thereon bosses 154 by means of which thetimer housing is mounted on a bracket 156, screws 158 extending throughthe bracket 156 into the bosses 154. One end of the bracket 156 issecured to the brackets 146 by bolts 160 and the other end of thebracket 156 is secured to the supporting member 68 described previouslyby bolts 162. This mounting for the timer housing 152 supports suchhousing within the right end of the controls compartment 59, as viewedin FIG. 2 of the drawings, with the timer housing positioned toward therear of such compartment.

The timer housing 152 contains the various cams 111 to 116 and thevarious switches 81 to 86 and 99 which form a part of the timer 58, andalso contains the timer motor 87. The timer shaft 104 projects forwardlythrough an aperture 164 in the escutcheon 143, the control knob beingfixed on the shaft 104 externally of the escutcheon. It will be notedthat the escutcheon 143 9 slopes downwardly and forwardly so that itfaces upwardly to some extent, the timer axis being oriented generallyperpendicular to the plane of the escutcheon so that the control knob120 also faces upwardly to a degree for maximum accessibility. It willbe noted that the control knob 12!) is positioned just below the doorhandle 148 so that both are accessible with minimum movement of theoperators hands. Thus, the operator may manipulate the door handle 148and the control knob 12% almost in one motion. For example, this permitsthe operator to close the door 24 and to depress the knob 129 to startan operating cycle in virtually one motion, which is an importantfeature.

As best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the indicator lights 131, 132,133, 135 and 136 are located in the opposite end of the controlscompartment 5? from the door switch 56 and the timer 58, these lightsbeing located substantially in horizontal alignment and being locatedsubstantially in horizontal alignment with the timer. As shown in FIG.5, the indicator lights 131, 132, 133, 135 and 136 are mounted on asupport 166 which is attached to the supporting member 68 by bolts 163.A transformer 170, not shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings, in circuit withthe lights 131, 132, 133, 135 and 136 is also mounted on the support165, as by bolts 172.

Registering with the lights 131, 132, 133, 135 and 136 are apertures181, 182, 183, 185 and 186, respectively, in the escutcheon 143. Seatedin the apertures 181, 182, 183, 185 and 186 are lenses 191, 192, 193,195 and 196, respectively, through which the lights 131, 132, 133, 135and :136, respectively are visible. It will be noted that the axes ofthe lenses 191, 192, 193, 195 and 196, as best shown in FIG. 5 of thedrawings, extend upwardly and forwardly and are substantially parallelto the axes of the timer shaft 134, this making for easy viewing of theexterior surfaces of the lenses. On these surfaces may be placedsuitable indicia, not shown, indicating the oper ations being performedby the various electrical elements of the dishwasher at any instant,only those indicia behind which energized lights are located beingvisible at any instant.

As indicated in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the lenses 191, 192, 193, 195and 196 may be formed from a single lens member 1% of transparent ortranslucent material, the lens member being divided longitudinally intothe individual lenses by means of transverse ribs 256 integraltherewith. The lens member 198 is held in place, with the individuallenses 191, 132, 193, 195 and 1&6 in the respective apertures 181, 182,183, 185 and 186, by generally U-shaped, arcuate clips 202. As shown inFIG. 5, these clips span the width of the escutcheon 143 and areanchored thereto at their ends, the clips being seated against the lensmember 1% intermediate their ends to hold the lens member in place asdescribed. The closed ends of the clips 292. are inserted in recesses264 in a flange 2% which defines the lower edge of the escutcheon 143,as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. 'ihe open ends of the clips 202 are insertedin apertures 21% in a flange 212 which defines the lower edge of the airoutlet 59, this air outlet being formed in the escutcheon 143 along theupper edge thereof.

The door switch 56, the timer 58 and the electric lights 131, 132, 133,135 and 136 are connected in the control circuit in the mannerhereinbefore discussed in connection with FIG. 9 of the drawings. Inorder to connect the various electrical elements in the controlscompartment 59 to the electrical elements within the dish chamber 12 andwithin the space 2% below the dish chamber, electrical conductors,designated generally by the numeral 214, extend from the electricalelements in the dish chamber and in the space 26 into the door 24-substantially at the hinge axis 26 thereof, as shown in FIG. 2 of thedrawings. From this point, the electrical conductors 214 extend upwardlyin the door, between the inner and outer walls 51 and 53 thereof, to thevarious electrical elements within the controls compartment 29.

As previously indicated, the air circulated throughout the space 20 bythe fan 52 to promote condensation or moisture on the inner surfaces ofthe walls of the dish chamber 12 during the drying operation, is alsocirculated upwardly through the door 24 between the inner and outerwalls 51 and 53 thereof, the manner in which such air enters the door atthe bottom thereof being disclosed in detail in the co-pendingapplication of Horace E. Karig, Serial No. 631,930, filed December 31,1956, now Patent No. 2,871,082 and assigned to the same assignee as thepresent application. The flow of air upwardly through the door isdesignated by the arrows 216 in FIGS. 3 and 5 of the drawings, such airthus flowing through the controls compartment 59 and being dischargedthrough the m'r outlet 50 at the top of the door. Since the aircirculated through the door 24 in this manner, as well as the aircirculated throughout the remainder of the space between the dishchamber 12 and the cabinet 16, is derived from the ambient airsurrounding the dishwasher 10 through the inlet 49, it serves to keepthe electrical elemen'ls within the controls compartment 59 dry and freefrom any moisture which may tend to condense in such compartment for anyreason, which is an important feature.

When the door 24 is closed, the apertures 55 in the inner Wall 5' 1 ofthe door register 'with the portion of the space 213 which is betweenthe top walls of the dish chamber 12 and the cabinet 16, with the resultthat the air which is circulated throughout the portion of the space 20between the dish chamber and cabinet walls is discharged through the airoutlet 56 by way of the apertures 55, all of the air which is circulatedthroughout the space 29, including that portion thereof which is withinthe door 24, thus being discharged through the air outlet 50. The arrows218 indicate the flow of air from that portion of the space 29 which islocated between the dish chamber and cabinet walls.

In the light of all of the foregoing, it will be apparent that thepresent invention provides a dishwasher 10 the controls of which arereadily accessible due to their unique locations and orientations at thetop of the door 24, and

provides a compact unit having minimum over-all dimen sions for a givenusable dishchamber volume. Although an exemplary embodiment of theinvention has been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, itwill be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutionsmay be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spiritof the invention as defined by the claims hereinafter appearing.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an automatic dishwasher, the combination of: a structure providinga dish chamber and having a front provided with a doorway therethroughfor access to the interior of said dish chamber, said structureincluding a door mounted for movement between open and closed positionsrelative to said doorway; and operating means, including operatingelements carried by said structure, for washing, rinsing and dryingdishes in said dish chamber, said operating means including a timermounted in the top portion of said door and connected to said operatingelements for controlling the operation thereof.

2. In an automatic dishwasher, the combination of: a structure providinga dish chamber and having a front provided with a doorway therethroughfor access to the interior of said dish chamber, said structureincluding a door mounted for movement between open and closed positionsrelative to said doorway; and operating means, including operatingelements carried by said structure, for washing, rinsing and dryingdishes in said dish chamber, said operating means including a timermounted in the top portion of said door and connected to said operatingelements for controlling the operation thereof, said operating meansfurther including a plurality of circuits in which at least some of saidoperating elements are connected and in at least one of which isconnected 11 an electrical indicator, said indicator being mounted inthe top of said door and being visible from the exterior of said door.

3. In an automatic dishwasher, the combination of: a structure providinga dish chamber having a front provided with a doorway therethrough foraccess to the interior of said dish chamber, said structure including adoor pivotally mounted adjacent the bottom thereof for movement betweenopen and closed positions relative to said doorway, said door extendinghorizontally across substantially the entire front of said structurewhen said door is in its closed position and having at the top thereofspaced inner and outer walls providing therebetween a compartment whichis separated from the interior of said dish chamber by said inner wall;and operating means, including operating elements carried by saidstructure, for washing, rinsing and drying dishes in said dish chamber,said operating means including a timer located in said compartment andconnected to said operating elements for controlling the operationthereof.

4. In an automatic dishwasher, the combination of: a structure includinga dish chamber having a front provided with a doorway therethrough foraccess to the interior of said dish chamber, and including a doorpivotally mounted on said structure adjacent the bottom thereof formovement between open and closed positions relative to said doorway,said door having at the top thereof spacedinner and outer wallsproviding therebetween a compartment which is separated from theinterior of said dish chamber -by said inner wall; and operating means,including operating elements carried by said structure, for washing,rinsing and drying dishes in said dish chamber, said operating meansincluding a timer located in said compartment and connected to saidoperating elements for controlling the operation thereof, said timerhaving a shaft which projects forwardly through said outer wall, saidshaft having a control knob thereon forwardly of said outer wall.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of: astructure providing a tub and having a front provided with a doorwaytherethrough for access to the interior of said tub, said structureincluding a door mounted on said structure for movement between open andclosed positions relative to said doorway, said door extendinghorizontally across substantially the entire front of said structurewhen said door is in its closed position; and operating means, includingoperating elements carried by said structure, for washing and rinsingarticles in said tub, said operating means including a timer mounted inthe top portion of said door and connected to said operating elementsfor controlling the operation thereof. I

6. An automatic dishwasher as defined in claim 3 wherein said outer wallis provided with an air outlet therein, said dishwasher including meansfor circulating air out said air outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS2,155,273 Jones Apr. 18, 1939 2,278,268 Kempton -n Mar. 31, 19422,552,749 Tabet May 15, 1951 2,634,739 Walker Apr. 14, 1953 2,645,235Wheeler July 14, 1953 2,678,051 Stoddard May 11, 1954 2,707,961 Geigeret a1. May 10,1955 2,905,092 Abresch Sept. 22, 1959

